Blue Moon
by increak96
Summary: The Colonel goes missing, and Riza, Alphonse, and Edward are trying to find him. Meanwhile, Roy sits in a prison cell with Havoc and a homunculus directly related to Envy, barely making it from one day to the next. AU, Royai, Parental!Roy, Parental!Riza; rated T for blood, violence, and some torture\interrogation scenes.
1. Chapter 1

"What have you done to the Colonel?" Riza screamed, holding both guns out in front of her, prepared to fire with the slightest wrong move from the raven-haired man standing before her.

"You really shouldn't bother him like this. He's part of very important research." The man grinned, revealing two razor-sharp fangs.

"What's with your teeth?" Edward asked, crossing his arms over his chest and glaring at the man who had taken his commander away from him.

"I'm a vampire."

Edward stared for a moment, and then turned his automail into a sword, pointing it at the man's head. "No, really."

"Regardless," Riza cut back in. "It doesn't matter what you are or what you claim to be. Where is Roy?"

Edward and Alphonse both gave her a strange look, knowing this was the first time she'd ever called the Colonel, 'Roy'.

"Do you really want to know?" The man nodded. "Of course you do, what am I saying?" He rubbed his hands together, and held out on hand palm up. A tea cup appeared, and he sat down, a chair forming beneath hi m as he sat. "It started just a few days ago, as I'm sure you know. It was the 5th of December, and Roy, being the snow-hater he is, was walking home all alone as fast as he could without looking suspicious. After all, he just wanted…

* * *

><p>"… to be warm. Is that so much to ask? What is it? Negative one hundred degrees out here?" Roy shivered, pulling his collar up high and then shoving his hands as deep into his pockets as they would go.<p>

He shuffled down the sidewalk leading to his house, opening the front gate and stomping up to the front door, an angry scowl on his face. He kicked the snow off of his boots and opened the door, stepping into his house and sighing in relief as he entered the eighty-two degree building. He hung up his coat and left his boots by the door, walking into his living room and falling over on the couch.

_At least I didn't have to wear my uniform today… Oh thank goodness I didn't have to wear my uniform today…_

His eyelids were heavy, and he could feel them slowly falling. He made no attempt to stop them, as he was exhausted , and soon the blackness was closing in.

BAM!

Roy jerked awake, and his head whipped around. His eyes landed on the clock. Two in the morning? Had he really slept that long? It felt like only seconds!

BAM!

"Who's firing a gun at this hour? I'll kill the dumb fool."

Roy did not particularly like being woken up suddenly, at two a.m., by a gun. To say he was unhappy would be quite the understatement.

He ran to the door, put on his boots and jacket, adjusted his gloves, and then threw the door open. He stormed into the snow-covered streets and listened for the sound again. He heard it, and it was close.

He turned to the right and ran down the road, pressing himself back against a building and sliding closer to the ally as he heard some sort of scuffle along with muffled shouts and more gunshots. He took a deep breath and jumped around the corner, holding out his hand and ready to snap.

"Hold it!"

But the only thing in the alley was a blood-soaked body and a discarded gun. Roy hesitantly approached the limp form, wondering if it was a trap, wondering if the person was even alive, or if it was even a person. Maybe it was an animal, or cloth mixed with stage blood.

He knelt down and rolled the heap over.

"Agh!" He jumped back slightly, grimacing at the sight before him.

It looked as though it was a young man, no older than Roy himself, and he had been shot in the head three times. His eye was missing, along with his nose, several teeth, and his jawbone. His neck was torn open, and blood was still oozing out with the steady pace of a heartbeat that was still going.

"Hello? Can you hear me?" Roy tapped the bodies shoulder, but all he got in response was the head falling towards him, revealing he was decapitated.

Roy stood up, keeping a straight face.

_That's one strong cardiac muscle._

He was a Colonel in the army. He was used to this kind of gore and blood, so he didn't vomit or cover his eyes as a squeamish child would, but instead, sought to obtain the whereabouts of the murderer while notifying personnel.

He turned around to leave the alley and get the phone and found the barrel of a gun pressed into his chest.

"Long time no see, Mustang."

Roy sighed, rubbing his fingers together and hoping the snow wasn't enough to wet his gloves. "Hale, you're so old school. With alchemy like yours, I don't see why you use guns."

BANG!

The gun went off, not into Mustang's chest, but rather his hand. He jumped back, grabbing his hand and hissing in pain. He cursed, glaring at the slightly older man with hatred burning in his eyes. Composing himself as quickly as possible, he straightened up and smirked, trying to hide the severe pain he was in. "Do you think I can only snap with my right hand?" He whipped his left hand out of his pocket and snapped, sending flames down the alley at the gunman. But Hale simply dropped the weapon and jumped up onto one wall, flipping off of it and landing over the roof over another.

"You'll have to try harder if you want to beat me." Then he grinned. "Little brother."

Roy kept his composure and shook his head. "Step brother, if I recall correctly." He snapped two more times, sending the bursts up onto the roof where Hale now was.

"Details, details. Is that really the important part here, Mustang?"

Hale pulled two pistols out of his pocket and fired again. Mustangs reflexes were like a cat's, and he pulled his hand from the line of fire, but the that didn't stop Hale from predicting where he would hide his hand and shooting there, too.

"Ack!" Roy stumbled back, blood spurting from his hand. _*I'm stuck without my fire, dangit!*_ "Alright, you've done enough damage. Now it's my turn." He whisked a lighter out of his pocket and flicked it, forcing the flames through both buildings and the surrounding streets to make sure there was no chance of Hale's escape.

Hale jumped from the roof and clapped his hands twice. The flames were doused in a heavy torrent of water that seemed to come out of nowhere. Hale dashed down the street, laughing loudly as if to taunt Roy into chasing him.

It worked.

Because here was the part where Roy should have gone inside. He should have let Hale go. He should have called the police, or at least notified somebody that he was about to do something stupid. But, as many people knew, Roy had pride issues.

Without thinking twice, he dashed down the road after Hale, grabbing his gun from its holster and firing it several times. Hales dodged every shot, and Roy found himself wishing Riza was there just so Roy could see him fall to the ground with a gunshot wound.

BA-BANG!

Roy hit the ground hard, biting his lip to hold in a cry of pain. He took a few quick gasps, desperately trying to put oxygen back into his lungs where it belonged. He struggled to his hands and knees, looking wildly around to find his gun.

_He's not alone? Since when does he have buddies?_

A sparkle caught his eye, and he saw his gun half buried in the snow, and he fumbled to grab it, grasping the metal weapon. A hand closed around his wrist, tearing the gun from his frozen, cold fingers and slamming the handle into his cheek, forcing blood out of his mouth as his head snapped to the side.

Yet another gunshot split the air, and he collapsed to the ground in a shaking, groaning pile of human flesh and blood. Pain coursed through his leg, and blood seeped into the snow.

"We warned you, Mustang." Hale smirked, taking Roy's shoulder and harshly pulling him off of the ground.

"Yeah, seven years ago. Some warning." Roy coughed, hoping that was spit and not blood flying out, though the taste in his mouth told him otherwise. "And who's we?"

Hale laughed, tossing Roy back into the snow. No sooner had he hit the soft, powdery white than bodies were thrown on top of him, all of them growling and biting, ripping open his arms and legs and face.

"Get off! GET OFF! Oof!"

His head hit something sharp and metal, and blood flew from his skull. Everything started to go black, and the last thing he remembered was thinking, _Well, at least all of these bodies and my blood are… keeping me warm… _ And then it all faded.

* * *

><p><strong>A\N: LOLYES. I totally have to update this... SOON... going through and adding separators, so YAY for that! Please review! 3<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

"Brother! Wake up! We forgot about our meeting with Colonel!"

Edward shot up in bed, his golden eyes wide and horrified. "Oh no! Not the Colonel! Anything but the Colonel!" Edward fell back into his sheets. "Wake me up when he's knocking on the door so I can transmute his sorry butt to Kingdom Come!"

Alphonse shook his head, turning to look at the door just in case the Colonel was outside and had heard that. "No, brother, he wanted to see us first thing in the morning. It's nearly nine! He's going to be angry with us."

"Don't care."

"But—"

Three sharp knocks were heard at the door, and Alphonse dashed over, throwing it open and bowing in respect. "Sorry, Colonel Mustang, I know we're late but we—eh? Hawkeye-san?"

Rather than answer, Riza asked a question of her own. "I take it you haven't seen the Colonel either?"

Alphonse shook his head slowly, and then opened the door. "Um, no, we haven't. Come in."

Riza stepped into the room, glancing around, her eyes finally falling on Edward, who was still clocked out on the bed.

"Edward Elric, get up now!"

Edward groaned. "No." He rolled over, showing her his back as he curled up into a ball. "I'm tired."

Riza grabbed the blanket and yanked it off of the bed. Edward yelped, the cool air licking his bare skin.

"Hey!" he shouted, grabbing his clothes from the foot of the bed and running into the bathroom. "I'm not dressed! Augh, I feel violated now!"

Riza rolled her eyes. "You don't know the meaning of the word, Ed." She turned to Alphonse, hands on her hips. "Colonel Mustang hasn't been seen since late last night. I was hoping he was with the two of you, but it appears he's not. And you haven't seen him either." She put her head down, focusing on the floor as she rubbed her chin.

"Eh," Edward muttered, coming out of the bathroom and stretching. "Why would he be with us? Doesn't he have more important things to do?"

Riza watched him for a moment, and then shook her head. "Anyways, I'm going to the Colonel's house to see if he's there. I'm under strict orders to make sure you two stay out of trouble, and since I don't know how long I'll be gone, you two will be accompanying me."

"WHAT?" Edward shouted, kicking the nightstand. "There's no way I'm going to help anybody check up on the Colonel! You can't order me around!"

Edward gasped, falling back as Riza's hand slammed into his cheek, turning it bright red instantly.

"Edward, you are now under my orders, not the Colonel's, and while he finds such outbursts amusing, I will not stand for it. No kicking, hitting, or childish outbursts. This is the military, not nursery school, and I expect firm discipline and order. Now, you have ten minutes to finish getting ready and meet me at the front gate, if you are late, I'll send someone up to get you whether you're ready or not."

She turned and walked to the door, stopping in the doorway. "I'll see you down there, Edward, Alphonse." She continued through the door and down the hall.

Edward turned to look at Alphonse, a stunned expression on his face. "What… just happened?"

Alphonse giggled. "You got slapped, isn't it obvious?"

Edward growled and grabbed his jacket and gloves, putting them on before quickly tying his hair in a messy braid like he did every day.

"Might as well get an early start. I don't want to feel Hawkeye's iron palm again." Edward rolled his eyes. "And she said it's not a nursery."

Alphonse giggled again.

"SHUT UP!"

* * *

><p>"It's a simple question, Mustang. Where are the Laboratory #5 records?"<p>

Roy shakily got to his feet, trying to escape the unceasing torture but failing miserably as Hale's fist sank into his lower gut once again.

"How—would I know?" Roy gasped, clutching his stomach and wiping the stubborn tears off of his cheeks.

Hale laughed, crouching down and taking Roy's chin in his hand. "Is Mustang crying?"

Roy growled, loathing the patronizing tone Hale had taken. "Of course not," he snapped. "When you're in pain, your eyes naturally water. It's not literal crying."

Hale smirked. "Then let's fix that." He shoved his knee into Roy's crotch, earning a pained scream as Roy lurched forwards, clutching Hale's shirt because it just so happened to be the closest thing he could hold.

"There, now you're crying."

Roy cursed under his breath, trying to cope with the agony.

"Now, back to my question. We need the Lab 5 files, where are they?"

"I don't know," Roy lied. "They kept me out of the loop on that one."

"I'm sure they did, Colonel." Hale rolled his eyes. He sighed, looping his thumbs in his pocket. "Alright, fine. We'll give you a little time to think about it. But tomorrow we're starting the Substantial Phase, so you better have an answer by then, or you just might find yourself stuck." Hale started to leave, but stopped in the doorway, looking over his shoulder, grinning maliciously. "By the way, daddy says 'hi'." He left, slamming the door shut, and Roy let his head fall, tears streaming down his face.

_Good… he's finally… not looking…. I'm sure they're searching for me right now, though. I'll be out of here in no time, and then… he'll pay for this. _Roy's eyes flashed as his signature smirk spread out over his face. _Oh yes, he'll pay._

* * *

><p>Riza rang the doorbell to Mustang's house and stepped back. Alphonse and Edward both stood behind her, Alphonse standing at attention, and Edward looking like he would rather be at a Midget Convention than where he was now—and that was saying something.<p>

The door opened, and Roy stepped out onto the porch, yawning and stretching. And still in his bathrobe.

"What are you doing here?" he asked sleepily.

"Sir," Riza started, caught a little off-guard by his appearance. "Everyone at Central is looking for you. There was some concern going around."

Roy frowned. "There must be a mistake. Today is my day off, Lieutenant Hawkeye. I'm not supposed to come back until tomorrow morning." He glanced behind her and grinned. "Oh, Edward. I didn't even see you there. I mean, with Riza standing in front of you and all, you were easily hidden."

Alphonse grabbed Edward before his blonde brother even had a chance to realize Roy had once again commented on his height.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO TINY HE'S BEEN INVITED TO A HOUSEFLY'S BIRTHDAY PARTY?"

Roy chuckled softly, and then looked back at Riza. "I'm sorry for the disturbance, Lieutenant, but I'm really not supposed to be in today, and I was in the middle of a rather gripping book. So, if there's nothing else…."

Riza saluted. "Nothing, sir. Thank you for your time."

Roy smiled. "No problem." Then he shut the door.

Edward turned and started off the porch. "See? It's his day off. There was absolutely no point in us coming here, and now I've lost all that time I could have been sleeping in or researching or eating."

Riza glared at him, but he didn't notice. Alphonse coughed, pointing to Riza, and Edward shut up immediately.

"Anyways…."

They started down the street towards the car, when suddenly, Alphonse turned and dashed down the street the other way, turning into an alley.

"I swear, Al, if you found another cat!"

"But he's all alone, and—EH?"

"Al, what is it?" Edward called, but there was no response. He took off, running into the alley and slowing down as he approached his brother. "Hey, what—"

Riza pushed them both back away from the corpse, pulling police tape out of her back pocket and starting to tape it off.

"That… isn't… the Colonel, is it? I mean, we just saw him!" Edward stuttered, staring at the corpse with a striking familiarity to his commander.

"Whoever was in that house isn't the Colonel. The Colonel doesn't get a day off until next week. But this isn't him, either. A mere human with a gun wouldn't be able to best him unless it was raining or snowing severely, neither of which was it doing last night. I'm not sure who this is, but I'll get personnel on it right away. Both of you exit the alley."

Edward and Alphonse both stepped out of the passage, watching as Riza diligently cut off the area. Edward suddenly spied something about a block and a half down the road. Curious as to what it was, he started down the street, stopping when he came to what appeared to be a giant stain of red in the snow. The area around was mangled and scorched, but whoever had been here the night before had done a good job to clean up the mess. In fact, Edward didn't even notice the burned buildings until he examined them closely.

"Brother!" Alphonse exclaimed, pointing to a telephone pole. Edward walked over and carefully reached out to touch the fabric. With a jerk, he pulled it from the nail embedded in the pole.

"The Colonel's gloves. They're all torn up, but I know they're his."

Alphonse nodded. "Definitely." He glanced at Riza, who was speaking to the arriving officers about the crime scene.

"Let's wait until she has more time. We can't make a big scene about this." Edward sat down in the snow, staring into the blood and thinking to himself, _That's a lot of blood… Colonel, are you alive? And if you are, where are you? Idiot. Don't scare Al like this._

* * *

><p>Roy's eyes snapped open as his cell door was opened and a small child was thrown into the cell.<p>

"You've got company." Hale kicked the boy, earning himself a scream.

"Why do you have a little kid like him? He's only what? Seven?"

Hale grabbed the child, gripping his hair and shoving him towards Roy. "You mean you don't recognize him?"

Roy stared into the child's wide, purple, terrified, almost inhuman eyes. Short black bangs hanging in his face. There was something familiar about him….

"ENVY?" Roy shouted, pulling on his restraints while Envy screamed and tried to get away, bawling his eyes out as Hale held him in place, forcing him to stay within Roy's reach.

"Very close, Mustang. But not quite. This is his little brother, Spite."

Roy didn't stop trying to reach him, and Hale threw him at Roy, smirking. "Tear him to shreds for all I care. We don't need him anymore."

Hale left, and Spite collapsed, revealing the only reason he could stand was because Hale was holding onto him. Roy took ahold of his hair and pulled him closer, glaring at him viciously.

"You…."

"What? I what?" he sobbed, covering his face and head to protect himself.

"You're…." Roy gripped him harder, grabbing his shirt as well.

"Please, don't hurt me! What did I do?" Spite wailed, staring up into Roy's cold, black eyes.

"You… are…." Roy was silent for a moment, and then finally he said, "Just a child. You're just a child." He sat down, letting the anger flow out of him as he pulled the shaking boy onto his lap. "That's all you are. You didn't mean to hurt anyone."

Spite was shaking like an autumn leave. His teeth were even chattering. Roy slowly, hesitantly wrapped his arms around Spite's body, holding him tightly.  
>"Are you a homunculus like your brother?" Roy asked, trying to keep his voice steady and eliminate all tones of hate or vengeance.<p>

Spite nodded, and then shook his head.

"Well, what is it?"

Spite bit his lip. "I don't… really know. Doctor Pierce said I was born five months early, and I was going to die. But they used Envy's DNA to stabilize me. So… I'm part human… part homun…homunc…uhh… I'm part human and part somethin' else." Spite wiped his eyes, sniffling softly.

Roy smiled slightly. "It's homunculus." He held Spite a little tighter. "Do they call you Spite because your brother was Envy, or is there another reason for this?"

Spite shrugged. "I don't know. That's just what they call me."

Roy nodded, letting Spite rest his head on Roy's chest. "If… If I sleep…" Spite started, "If I sleep, will you make sure they don't get me?"

Roy nodded again. Spite smiled.

"Thank you… Mister…."

With that last statement, he passed into a much-needed sleep. Roy watched the child in his arms start to wander off into dreamland and trained his senses to his surroundings.

"Alright, Hawkeye. Where are you?"

* * *

><p>"Okay, you two. What is so important that you've been pestering me for the past two hours that I need to finish up with the officers so you can show me something?"<p>

Edward held up the gloves. "We found these on a phone pole by a pool of blood. We think it was the Colonel, but there were no other clues."

Riza snatched the glove out of his hand. "We don't need any other clues." She turned the gloves inside out, inspecting them thoroughly until she found what she was looking for. "There. In the seam, there's a message."

Edward took one glove from her, looking it over and then handing it back. "I don't see it."

"Of course you don't. It's—I don't have the time to explain right now. You, Al, and I are heading north. It's almost three in the afternoon. I'll schedule a train ride for four. You have until three forty-five to get ready. Don't be late." Then she added. "And thanks. I know you don't care much for the Colonel, Ed, but you found this and brought it to me anyways." She smiled. "It takes true soldiers to do that." Then she turned and walked away, back straight and shoulders squared—military style.

She glanced over her shoulder when she knew they weren't looking, and saw them arguing over what they would need on a trip to the north. Riza smiled.

_I don't think I'll ever get tired of those two. _Then she looked up at the gloomy, gray sky. _Hang on, sir. I'll be by your side as soon as I can._


	3. Chapter 3

"I can't believe you brought the cat, Al."

Edward crossed his arms over his chest and stared out at the plains and hills as they rolled by beneath a crystal blue sky. Alphonse hung his head, sniffing softly.

"But… he was all alone!" Alphonse held up the kitten, and Edward looked at Riza.

"Will you please explain to him that we can't keep it?"

Riza shook her head. "Sorry, Al. It's simply not allowed."

"But we can't leave him all alone! Can't we just keep him with us while we search for the Colonel? We can offer him to people along the way."

Riza sighed, glancing at Edward, who shrugged. Finally, she nodded. "Fine. But if we find the Colonel and you still haven't given it a home, we'll go back to Central without it."

Alphonse nodded, assuring her repeatedly that he would find a home for his little friend. Edward sighed, rolling his eyes and turning his gaze back to the window.

"I wonder where he is," Edward muttered to himself, surprising himself with the worry in his voice.

"The attack was obviously an alchemist and someone stupid enough to blatantly hold the Colonel for ransom." Riza fiddled with her gun, finally holstering it at her side and turning to Edward, her eyes sharp. "Are you positive you didn't see anything other than the blood and the gloves?"

Edward nodded. "I'm sure. Snow was everywhere. If there had been something else, I'm pretty sure I would've seen it, and we did look around. We didn't want to disturb the scene, so we didn't dig around, but we looked." Edward shrugged.

Riza stood up. "I think I'll have someone dig around. You two wait here."

Riza stepped out of the car and Edward turned to Alphonse. "I think I'll have someone dig around. You two wait here," he mocked. "Ugh. I can't wait until we find Colonel Mustang and get out from under her command. His snide comments are better than her orders!" Edward slumped in his chair, glaring at Alphonse. "And you're not keeping the cat."

Alphonse held the kitten tighter, guarding it protectively. "Can we just focus on the Colonel, please?"

Edward waved his hand. "Yeah, yeah, whatever."

Riza entered the car again and sat down. "Havoc is going to have a look around and let me know if he finds anything. If he doesn't, we'll simply start where the clue implied."

"And… where is that?"

"three hundred and fifteen miles North of Central. We have another train to get on, but we should arrive early tomorrow. By then, Havoc should have some answers for me and we can begin a more in depth search."

Edward and Alphonse nodded, and for the third time, Edward looked out the window.

_Well, she might by a killjoy and a pain in the butt, but at least she knows what she's doing._

Riza thwacked him in the head, and then turned the page of the book she had picked up and started to read.

"What?" he snapped.

"You're annoying."

Edward glared. "I'm not even going to ask…." Once again, he went to the window.

* * *

><p>Maes Hughes looked up from his desk, giving Havoc a strange look and then looking back down at the photos that had been placed there.<p>

"Found some stuff by that scene Hawkeye wanted me to check out. Took some photos, and I think I have somebody for you to look up."

Hughes took the photos and started to flip through them. They were all of objects with the name "Hale" scratched into them. He glanced up at Havoc, his eyes inquisitive. "If Roy was being kidnapped, when would he have had time to do this?"

Havoc shrugged. "Don't know. He Colonel Mustang, you know? He just does stuff sometimes."

Hughes nodded slowly, and then pulled out a few files from under the desk. "I'll get right on it and let you know when I find something."

Havoc nodded and turned, walking out of the room. Hughes watched him go and then pulled a profile out of a folder.

"Hale Karvic…. Interesting name." He looked over the photos and information.

Name: Hale Karvic

Age: 25

Hair Color: Black

Eye Color: Blue

Height: 6'1"

Weight: 176lbs

Status: Former State Alchemist\Wave Alchemist. Current status is unknown.

Relatives: Pierce Karvic (Father) Smyrna Karvic (Mother) Terra Karvic (Step-mother, formerly Terra Mustang) Roy Mustang (Step-brother)

"And here is where I say, 'aha, I've got you.'" Hughes stood up, taking the file and all of its contents with him. "Time to find some reference books."

* * *

><p>"This is where we're staying? It's a dump!"<p>

Riza glared at him. "Just because it's not as nice as it was when I was here last doesn't mean it's a dump."

Edward shrugged his shoulders. "That depends on your perspective."

"I think it looks…nice." Alphonse tried to keep the peace between the two.

"Face facts, Al, it's falling apart."

"So? It's still home to certain people around here!"

"Like who?" Edward retorted.

Riza sighed, holstering her gun. "Like me, alright? This is my hometown, and this is where I used to live."

Edward's jaw nearly fell off, and Alphonse gently closed it.

"It's also where I met the Colonel. Back when we were you guys' ages. His step-father was into all kinds of crazy experiments, and it's actually why I think he's somewhere around here. Pierce never went too far from this town, even when he was a wanted man, about nine years ago I think that was. They just went underground and came back after the police were switched around and his files were lost."

Edward nodded. "So, you and Colonel Mustang are old friends, huh?"

Riza laughed softly, opening the door and letting the two alchemists in. "You could say that. I'm not sure friend is the right word. Even back then, the Colonel always wanted to be in the army, and he liked to order me around a lot. He was playing, of course, but I still knew what it meant to him when I saluted." Riza suddenly stopped. "Why are we talking about this? It's extremely unimportant, and we need to hurry up and connect the phone lines so we can keep in touch with Central."

Alphonse smiled, holding up the phone. "Done! I thought you wouldn't mind if I worked while you were talking."

Riza nodded. "Good job, Al." She walked over and picked up the phone, ready to punch in the numbers, when suddenly she heard a voice on the other end.

"Hawkeye, are you there?"

"Yes, Hughes, what is it?"_ Impeccable timing…_

"I was just calling to tell you Havoc found the name 'Hale' scratched into several objects around the crime scene. I looked up the name in some of Roy's personal files and, of course, there was a stack ten inches thick on him. Apparently, he's Roy's step-brother and an ex-State Alchemist."

Riza nodded. "Just as I suspected. It's his step-father's fault."

"Step-father? I saw that somewhere… now, give me a second to look that up."

"His name is Pierce Karvic," Riza said, and she pointed at Alphonse and Edward, motioning for them to get their stuff unpacked in the room down the hall.

"Oh, wow. This guy has a record three miles long! It'll take me a while to pick out what's needed."

"It's alright. We'll start our search in the morning. It's getting dark outside anyways." Riza turned the lights on and started to clean off the tables and counter.

"Alright, I'll call you first thing tomorrow. Goodnight, Hawkeye." Hughes hung up the phone, and Riza looked around at the dirty kitchen and living room.

"This place really is a mess," she muttered. "I guess I'll have to do some cleaning. And some shopping, too. The cupboards are bare." Riza put her hands in the air, yawning. "In the morning, anyways." Riza headed back the hall, a tired sway in her step.

_Goodnight, sir, wherever you are._

* * *

><p>The Next Day<p>

* * *

><p>Roy woke up to the sound of screaming down the hall, and he panicked, looking down at his lap. He let out a sigh of relief when he saw Spite was still snuggled up and fast asleep. Sucking his thumb, too.<p>

His assurance was short-lived, though, and seconds later the door flew open. Hale grinned at him, stepping into the room with several black-clothed men behind him.

"Really?" Roy asked. "Black clothing? Isn't that so… what's the word? Cliché?"

Hale grinned. "Who cares what we wear? As long as we get the job done." He snapped his fingers and two of the men grabbed Spite, forcing him away from Roy and dragging him out of the room.

"What are you doing to him?" Roy snarled, standing up and pulling on the restraints to reach Hale.

"That depends on your cooperation. We could slowly beat him to death if you resist, or we can simply move him to a different cell and bring him back when we're finished if you decide to behave."

Hale snapped his fingers, and Roy was grabbed on either side by the thugs. Another one got behind him, holding his head so he couldn't move anything but his eyes.

"It's funny how you and I both snap to get what we want. Must be a family trait." Hale pulled a laser pointer out of his pocket. "Now, normally I would have slides, but since I'm in a prison, I'll just use your body. Hope this doesn't hurt too much." Hale clicked it on, pointing it at Roy's mouth. Roy grimaced, feeling a burning sensation spread over his lips, stinging and tingling. "Here's the deal. Pierce is trying to create the ultimate killing machine."

Roy scoffed. "That's nothing new."

Hale pointed the laser at Roy's already aching, throbbing hand, which still had a hole in it from the bullet. "Don't interrupt. Pierce's methods are very simple on paper, but a little harder to achieve. He messing around with vampires. You know, the stuff of legends, monsters of the night, I vant to suck your blooood? Yeah, those. At first he tried genetically altering the subjects physically, but they all died from malnourishment. Which, obviously, led him to start off with substance."

Roy stared for a moment, and then was able to ask, "What? You're going to turn me into a vampire? Have you lost your mind, Hale? This isn't a game, and this isn't fairytale land! Either beat me up or let me go, but don't play with fantasies. I don't have time for it."

Hale grinned, pointing the laser at Roy's stomach and pulling a medium sized bag out of his back pocket. "Roy, you have all the time in the world. So, I'll ask you to do one little thing for my 'fantasies'." Hale snapped his fingers again, and Roy hit the wall, being held back by at least four men while two others approached him with a bag of something thick and red and… a tube?

Hale knelt down in front of Roy and took his chin in his hand. "Here are your options: Drink the blood willingly, or we force it down your throat."  
>Roy jerked, watching the men with the bad apprehensively. "What? I won't drink that, that's disgusting!"<p>

Hale snapped his fingers, and down the hall a scream rang out.

"Spite!" Roy called. He kicked at Hale. "Leave him alone, Hale."

Hale shook his head, snapping again. More shrieks came, and now Spite was sobbing.

"Spite! Spite, hang in there, okay?"

"You're the one doing this to him, Roy. Just drink it."

"No." Roy glared daggers at him, and Hale grinned.

"You know… I was kind of hoping you would say that to me." Snap. Scream.

"Hale you—ACK!"

Roy stiffened as the tube was shoved down his throat, gagging him and cutting off his air. Breathing through his nose as best as he could, he shuddered, feeling the tube slide down his throat and into his stomach.

"So, so stupid, Mustang. This could have been so much easier for you." Hale attached the blood bag and held it up, laughing softly as the blood started flowing down the tube and into Roy's stomach.

He could feel his stomach slowly filling up, and it almost made him vomit knowing what was going into his belly. He couldn't say anything, and he could barely breathe, let alone move or try to save himself. It felt like his throat was being stretched wide enough to swallow a water pipe whole.

Hale laughed, snapping his fingers and signaling for most of the men to leave, which they did. "Be grateful. I convinced Pierce to use the small tube on you. Wait until we upgrade you to the large one."

Roy hacked and coughed, trying to get the plastic out of his throat. He was getting fuller and more nauseous by the second, and it was no longer because the substance was blood.

_Ug… way…too much…_

Roy lurched forward, tensing up as his stomach clenching, trying to push his stomach contents up, but the tube got in the way every time. His knees buckled and he hit the ground, still retching and trying to get the tube out.

Roy barely heard Hale speak, but something he said made the rest of the men leave, and then it was just Hale and Roy. Roy slowly lifted his gaze to meet Hale's, fury burning in his onyx eyes. Hale slid a bucket under Roy's mouth and then took a hold of the tube, jerking hard and tearing it out of Roy's body before slamming his head down.

Roy gripped the stone floor, his whole body shaking as he vomited into the wooden bucket. Tears streamed down his face along with snot—as of course anytime you cry, your nose runs, and more than ever does this happen when you lose your lunch—and by the time he jerked his body back away from Hale and collapsed against the wall, he was a sight to see.

Hale sighed exasperatedly, pulling a rag out of his coat pocket and wiping Roy's face off. "You're pathetic," was all he said as he tossed the rag into the bucket and handed it off to one of the men waiting outside.

"So," Roy panted, trying to regain his breath and relax. "What exactly was the point of me drinking the blood, if I was just going to throw it back up?"

"You drank enough that the amount you lost just now doesn't really matter, and I'm sure you're stomach feels settled, right?"

Roy didn't want to admit it, but he was feeling much better now that the unwanted excess was gone.

"That's what I thought," Hale said, having figured out his answer from Roy's expression. "So now, we leave you alone until tomorrow, and we do this again. Pretty soon you'll be living off of blood, and shortly after that, you'll start to crave it."

"Or maybe you're a psycho, and I'll just die because nobody can live off of blood!" Roy snarled.

Hale smirked, shaking his head. "No one can live off of blood on their own, yes. But we have a few things to help you out." Hale pulled out a syringe and rolled up Roy's sleeve. "This will help your body adapt to sustaining itself with blood."

Roy glared. "And what happens when I escape this place and want to live off of food again?"

Hale laughed out loud. "If it were possible for you to escape, you would simply start eating normal food mixed with blood. Over time, this drug would wear off and you would be able to slowly stop adding blood to the things you eat. But since that's never going to happen, I guess it doesn't really matter, does it?"

Roy smirked. "Just you wait, Hale."

Hale glanced at him, snapped his fingers, and then smiled when he heard Spite wailing down the hall.

"Alright, I'll shut up!" Roy said quickly.

Hale grinned, pulling the syringe out and standing up. "You seem to have a weakness for these boys. I think it's time we introduce you to Ignorance."

"Who?" Roy asked incredulously.

"Oh, you'll see."

Roy felt his stomach slowly start to churn. _*He's going to torture children… just to break me?* _"Hale, leave these kids out of it!"  
>"Spite's eight years old, and Ignorance is fifteen, even if he doesn't act like it. Seems like when it was to your advantage, you had no hesitations asking a ten-year-old Alphonse and an eleven-year-old Edward to help you. Isn't that right, Mustang?"<p>

Roy froze. "It… It wasn't like that! That's completely different!"

Hale laughed. "Keep telling yourself that, Mustang, but when it comes right down to it, you and I aren't that different." He stepped out, slamming the door. "Spite will be back within the hour."

Roy listened to his footsteps echo down the hall, and then he listened to Spite's cries. He wasn't really like Hale…

Was he?


	4. Chapter 4

**_A/N: ARG! I'm sorry for the wait! I couldn't write this to save my life! So I'm sorry if the quality is bad because I kinda forced myself to write this. I actually like how it turned out... and I hope you all do too! ENJOY PLZ! (P.S. I STILL DON'T OWN THIS!)_**

* * *

><p>Roy opened his eyes blearily when he heard a banging on the cell door. He gently slid Spite off of himself and clumsily got to his feet, looking down at his wrists, surprised to see the chains were gone.<p>

He pinched the bridge of his nose, knowing something had happened to him the night before. He wasn't sure what, but there was no way Hale would have let him walk free unless there was something else keeping him suppressed.

Stumbling to the door he muttered, "Who is it?"

"Ig'nrance!"

The voice was high but childlike, and it made him think of a two-year-old trying to say his own name. "Ignrance?" Roy sighed. "What does that mean?"

There was a clinking sound, and then the door got pushed in. Roy stepped back, letting the Homunculus in. He couldn't help but smile when the boy held up a tray with food on it, grinning at him with a glint in his bright, blue eyes.

"Ah, so you're Ignorance. The one Hale told me about…." Roy looked out into the hallway, but he didn't see Hale anywhere. He glanced over his shoulder at the boy, and then said, "Hold on a second, I have to check something."

Roy went to step out of the cell, but Ignorance grabbed him, shaking his head furiously. "No!"

"Why not?"

Ignorance stepped out, jerked around a bit, and then fell over. He pointed to Roy.

"Electrocution? I'll get zapped by the floor?"

Ignorance nodded, and then stood back up.

"Oh, well, thank you for warning me." Roy stepped back. _So that's what they did last night._

Ignorance picked his tray back up and handed it to Roy again. Roy took the tray and sat down to eat. He frowned. There was a piece of bread, a bottle of water, and a cup of blood. Roy sighed, putting the tray down next to Spite and picking up the cup. He grimaced and slowly brought the glass to his lips. He took a long sip—and spat it right back out, shuddering and gagging.

"Oh my gosh! I can't drink this I… Ugh, my stomach."

Ignorance crouched down, inching closer, and then patting Roy's stomach.

"Sick? Sick?"

Roy shook his head. "No, I'm fine." Ignorance didn't move his hands from Roy's stomach, and he continued to press, like he was fascinated with this thing called 'the stomach'.

"That's my stomach." Ignorance gave Roy a strange look, and Roy tried to think of something simpler. He let out a heavy sigh, and Ignorance jumped away, pointing at Roy's stomach with fear written on his face.

Roy laughed, taking Ignorance's hand and placing it over his stomach. "Belly," he said. Then he sighed again. "Breathing."

Then he put Ignorance's hand on his own stomach. "Your belly." Ignorance sighed like Roy had. "Your breathing."

Ignorance giggled, and then he pressed his face into Roy's abdomen. "Belly! Belly!" He fell over laughing and holding his own belly.

Roy smiled at him. He held out his hand, pointing to himself with his other hand. "Roy Mustang."

Ignorance cocked his head to one side, and then grabbed Roy's hand, caressing it and feeling it and trying to comprehend what this 'human' thing was.

"Roy Mustang." Roy pointed to himself. "My name Roy Mustang."

Ignorance laughed. "Roooy Mustang!" He jumped onto Roy's lap, throwing his arms around the older man's neck. "Roooy Mustang."

"Just Roy. Not Roooy. Roy."

"Roooy Mustang!" Ignorance snuggled down into Roy's lap, taking Roy's hand and pressing it against his face. "Roooy Mustang, Roooy Mustang, Roooy Mustang!" Ignorance was no longer speaking, but singing Roy's name over and over.

Roy laughed, giving the boy his other hand so he could see them. Ignorance held his hands and leaned down close to them.

"Owie."

Roy nodded, remembering all of his injuries. With everything that happened, and since the pain was all over his body, he had forgotten where his injuries were, but now that he thought about it, he had a hole in each hand, a bullet in his leg, a deep gash in his cheek, and then several other bruises and cuts, but he couldn't specify those.

"Yeah, I have lots of owies."

"Make it better!" Ignorance grabbed Roy's hand and kissed it softly. Then he looked up, his eyes wide. "Better?"

Roy smiled at him, tousling his jet black hair. "Yes. Much, much better!"

Ignorance clapped. "Yay!"

Spite slowly sat up and stretched. He looked at the tray beside him, and his eyes lit up. "Food! Is this yours, mister?"

Roy shook his head. "You can have it."

Spite took the food and started to eat, but Ignorance grabbed it, screaming. "NO! Roooy Mustang's food!"

Roy took the food from both of them and held it up, wagging a finger at them. "Ignorance, watch." Roy handed the food to Spite again. "Share." He let Spite take a bite, and then held his hand out to take it back. He took a bite, and then handed it to Ignorance. "Share."

Ignorance took a bite, and then handed it back to Spite, who started munching hungrily. "Share! Share!"

"That's right." Roy nodded, smiling at the kids.

"Rooy, what you doin' here?"

"I don't… actually know. I think they're trying to make me into a vampire or something." Roy rubbed the back of his neck, laughing lightly.

Ignorance cocked his head to one side. "Oh. Usin' you to make stone?"

Roy's eyes widened. "What? Like, a Philosopher's Stone?"

Ignorance bobbed his head up and down rapidly. "Mm-hmm!"

"How? What can you tell me?"

Ignorance cocked his head to one side, scratching his chin. "Huh?"

Roy tried to keep relaxed, not wanting to scare Ignorance into complete silence, and he took him by the arms, making eye contact and speaking slowly. "Ignorance, can you tell me anything about the stone?"

Ignorance shook his head slowly, and then pulled away from Roy, a terrified expression on his face.

"It's okay!" Roy said quickly, reaching out again. "I won't hurt you."

"I know!" Ignorance shouted, tears forming in his eyes as he ran out the door and slammed it behind him. "I know, I know!"

His terrified shouts echoed down the halls as he disappeared, and Roy was left staring at the door with a stunned expression on his face.

"What… just happened?"

"They do lots of bad things here."

Roy turned and looked at Spite, who was sitting by the food tray with his knees pulled tight against his chest.

"I don't think Ignorance wanted to tell you because they might do something bad to him."

Roy sat down next to Spite with a heavy sigh, pulling him a little closer. "Oh, I see." He paused. "But isn't he a homunculus? Can't he just heal again?"

"He's ignorance, remember? The very essence of human stupidity and obliviousness. He wouldn't be able to figure that out… All he knows is that it hurts, and he's not sure he's gonna make it." Spite shuddered, hugging himself tighter.

_Dangit! I'm terrible with children! I feel like I should say something… but what? What do I say to a tortured child who isn't even human?_

"Um… there, there?" he tried. "It'll be alright. Somehow, I'll get us out of here."

Spite glanced up rather quickly. "Us?"

Roy nodded slowly, a bit confused. "Yes, us… I wouldn't leave without you, Spite."

Spite just stared at him in awestruck wonder, mouth agape and saucers for eyes. "Everybody else did."

Roy gave him an odd look. "Like who?"

"Long time ago, there was a man who was dressed just like you. Blue pants and black boots and white shirt. An army person is what the doctor's said. His name was… Havoc. Jack Havoc. He was really nice to me, just like you are, but then one day he broke out and the doctor's said he got away. He never came back for me, even though he promised he would." Spite looked down.  
>Roy went rigid. Jack… Havoc…<p>

"_Hey, Mustang, my brother just went missing in the North. Can I take some time off to look for him?"_

_Roy lazily looked up from his paperwork, barely registering what the lieutenant had said. "Uh, sure, whatever." He looked back down at the papers, hearing a click from the other side of the office. "You can take time off. Just let me finish this paperwork, alright? Hawkeye's going to kill me."_

_Havoc nodded and ran out._

"Mister, are you okay?"

"_Lieutenant, where is Havoc? I thought he returned yesterday."_

_Hawkeye turned to him, a somewhat cold somewhat sad look in her eyes. "Sir, Havoc's brother was found in a state of hysterics. He had self-inflicted cuts all over his body, and he was biting the doctor's and those trying to help him. After two days of inability to stabilize him, he died in a feverish sleep, screaming in pain and clawing his own neck to shreds."_

"_Oh… I suppose, then, he deserves a day or two off."_

"I'm… I'm okay." _Should I tell him Jack is dead or not? _"Uh, Spite, I think maybe he didn't come back because as soon as he got out, he was taken to a doctor. And he didn't get better."

Spite frowned. "Oh… well, I'll have to visit him when I get out! Maybe he'll feel better!"

Roy sighed, shaking his head. "No… No, that wasn't what I meant. I mean he… he died. The doctors were… nasty… and he died."

Spite shook his head. "No… No he didn't! Jack… Jack can't die! It's impossible!"

Roy didn't press the subject, put merely pulled Spite a little closer, stroking his hair. "Just… don't think about it." _Right. That works. _Roy rolled his eyes at his own stupidity.

BANG!

The two jumped, and Roy instinctively put Spite behind him.

"Oh, Roy!" Hale sang from the end of the hall. "Are you ready for lunch?"

Roy growled under his breath.

_Just go with it, Mustang. Just. Go with it._

* * *

><p>Riza knocked on the Elrics' door and heard the clanking of armor inside. Alphonse answered the door and did a double take at her outfit.<p>

"Oh, Riza-san! You, uh, look different."

Riza glanced down at her black t-shirt and torn jeans. "Yes, I suppose I do, and I have some clothes for Edward, too. We need to blend in with the locals, and frankly, his clothes smell like he's rolled in a pig pen.

"I told him to wash more often," Alphonse groaned.

Riza smiled. "It's okay. He can wear this while I wash his clothes. It's not that different from what he wears now, anyways." She peeked over his shoulder. "Where _is _your brother, Alphonse?"

The metal boy laughed nervously, a soft echo reverberating through the hollow suit.

"Brother is still asleep."

Riza sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Well, please wake him up, Alphonse. Tell him breakfast is ready, and I have some sealant I want to put on your armor. We'll be doing from rough travelling."

Alphonse nodded and stepped back, going to close the door.

"And, I also apologize for my stiffness yesterday." Then she turned and went down the hall to the kitchen.

She hadn't noticed it until she was lying in bed that night, but she had been extremely strict with the boys yesterday. It was probably just because she was angry with the Colonel, and shortly after that, worried for his life. Now at least she knew where he was. But was that supposed to make her feel better or worse? Regardless, she had been overly harsh, and she wanted to apologize.

It only took the word breakfast to get Edward down to the table, and soon he was gobbling up the food while Alphonse scolded him for having bad table manners. Riza shook her head, taking her plate to the sink.

"Try not to leave leftovers, or we'll come back to coyotes, wolves, and rats."

"See?" Edward spoke around the food in his mouth before shoving more in. "It's good I'm eating all this!"

Alphonse just facepalmed, and Riza walked over as Edward cleared his plate, taking a rag and scrubbing his face.

"You really shouldn't talk with your mouth full, Edward. And please make sure to clean your mouth when you're done." She took his plate away and placed the objects in the sink.

She wasn't planning on verbally apologizing to Edward, as Edward was not the type to accept apologies like that. If she said she was sorry, he'd just wave it off with a 'yeah, sure thing, whatever' type of attitude. But if her actions showed her repentance, he would instantly get it, and it would be less awkward for both of them, but more him than her.

Edward watched her clear the table, and suddenly moved to help her. "Uh, thanks, Lieutenant Hawkeye."

Riza nodded. "Call me Riza."

Edward nodded back at her. "So, uh, where to today?"

"Today, we're going to travel through the woodlands and mountain ranges to try and find Pierce's labs. I don't know where they are exactly, but Hughes called me early this morning and gave me a general location. Hughes also said he was sending back-up, but I don't know who or when they'll get here."

Edward nodded.

"Once we clear the table, we're going to town for some supplies and to have Alphonse sealed, and then we're off."

Edward grinned. "Awesome. Let's do this."

* * *

><p>Jean Havoc stared out the window of the train as it rumbled towards the northern mountain range. Taking another drag from his cigarette, he sighed, watching the open fields rush by. The sky was a crystal blue, with a few blackbirds and falcons dotting the sky. Not a single cloud, and no fog below, but endless acres of wheat and the occasional field of corn.<p>

The last time he was here… was three years ago, when he brother, Jack, went missing.

Jean looked away from the window, staring down at the wood boards making up the floor of the car he was in.

He remembered the ravenous look in his brother's eyes. The blood and gore in the alley where Jean found him. Or rather, the lack of blood. Most of it had been… consumed. Consumed. Like food. Like… candy…

_Clatter._

_The gun fell from Havoc's hands and down to the cobblestone ground beneath him. Jack looked up from the corpse in his arms, eyes wild with hunger and animal like instincts._

"_Jean…? Jean!" Jack lunged at him, but Havoc stumbled back._

"_Don't touch me!"_

_Jack got a very confused expression on his face. "Jean… Jean, it's me! Jack! You're big brother!"_

"_No… No, get away!" Havoc kicked Jack in the stomach and made a break for the alley. A hand caught his arm._

"_Please… Jean, you don't understand. It's not my fault, and she was already dead. Please, Jean, no, don't look at me like that!"_

_Havoc kept struggling._

"_Jean… Lil' Lighter, please... I'm your big brother, you know me! You know I wouldn't—" Jack double over and clutched his midsection, screaming in pain as he hit the floor. "Just… if even you can't trust me… shoot me! Shoot me then, if I've really… if they've… shoot me, Jean!"_

_Havoc shook his head. He was terrified, and this _thing _was not his brother, but he couldn't _kill _him!_

"_Up here! Havoc disappeared around this corner!"_

_Havoc just kept shaking his head, watching numbly as they dragged his older brother—his life, his world, his role model, his closest friend—away like an animal, all the while deafly listening to the frantic screams and cries._

"_Jean! Jean, please! Please, I love you!"_

_But Havoc couldn't say anything. How could he say those words to a raving monster with an innocent woman's blood on his hands? How could…_

"_I… I…"_

_Havoc stumbled back, falling against the wall._

"_Lieutenant Havoc, sir. Are you alright? Sir?"_

_But Havoc couldn't respond, and seconds later, Havoc hit the pavement._

Havoc shook his head. When he had woken up, his brother was locked up in a little white padded room losing his mind. Jack had lost all memory of their conversation—along with his humanity. And he died early the next morn, hand clasped around his own throat, dried blood caking his fingers.

Havoc shook his head. "Come on, I'm going up here so that don't happen to Mustang. Walk on, he always says, so I gotta follow orders." He took another drag, and then tossed the rest out the window.

_Lil' Lighter… doesn't feel like lighting up right now._

* * *

><p>Roy let out a long, heavy sigh, leaning back against the wall, blood trickling from his mouth. He had about an hour until Spite was returned to him, and who knew when Ignorance would be back, if he even came back at all.<p>

But Roy didn't like this solitude. He had time to think now, and the thinking was starting to make him anxious. He remembered what Hawkeye had told him about Havoc's brother. The biting, the clawing, the screaming in pain, and the hysterics. Was Roy going to end up like that if these experiments went on? If so, how soon? Would he have enough strength to turn the tide back in his favor? There were too many unanswered questions, and the more Roy thought about it, the more Roy realized he was really stuck this time. He kept telling himself there had to be a way out, but with every minute that passed, the truth in that statement seemed to dwindle into a false hope.

"There's a way out. There has to be. There just _has _to be."

* * *

><p>Havoc stepped off of the train and looked around at the small town. Ragged, worn-out people—most of them with automail—and buildings to match them all. The streets looked as though they used to be made up of stones, but most of the paths were dirt now, with gaps and potholes where larger rocks used to be.<p>

Havoc suddenly stumbled forward as a small child ran into him.

"Whoops! Sorry, mister! I gotta take this food home to my momma, though. I'm in a real hurry!"

"Hey, you need help?"

But the child was already running off with his surprisingly large bag. Havoc took off after him, following him into an alley.

"That looks heavy, kid, let me—"

He skidded to a stop, his eyes wide as he realized this boy was not going to his mother at all.

"Hello, Jean Havoc. My, my, you look an awful lot like your brother."

Havoc slowly turned to see who's shadow he was standing in.

"Let's see if you're a tad bit stronger than him, eh?"

"Wh…what?"

Havoc saw stars explode across his vision, and soon he was having an all-too-familiar make-out session with all-too-familiar pavement.


	5. Chapter 5

**A\N: GAH! I AM SO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG YOU PROBABLY THOUGHT I DIED! *ASHAMED! THOROUGHLY ASHAMED!* I was so lost for plot, had no inspiration, and so many other stories with tons of inspiration and this just... I'M SORRY! Even this chapter I finally got up I felt the quality wasn't that good even when I went back and made changes, I still didn't like it, but I couldn't make you wait anymore! Please, PLEASE review with ideas because I barely scraped this together! I'm have NO IDEA what to do at ALL but I don't wanna abandon it... If you have any ideas, even if you think they sound stupid, TELL ME. They probably aren't stupid at all.**

***sighs* Sadly, I still do not own a thing.  
><strong>

* * *

><p>Riza looked out at the grasslands of Northern Amestris, shaking her head. The area looked as plain as plain can be, and there were no hints of a secret lab anywhere. No markers, no disturbed plants or rocks, no blood, no dead animals. Nothing that said 'humans live around here'.<p>

"Riza! Riza, hold up!" Edward made it to the ridge and bent over, putting his hands on his knees and breathing hard. "Dang, you move fast. Do you ever get tired?"

Riza smiled lightly at him before turning to face the scenery. "In the War of Extermination we were expected to function properly at all times, regardless of conditions both personal and surrounding-wise. It wasn't up to us. So I guess after all these years in the military, I'm just used to it. Do you need a break, Ed?"

Edward glanced up at her, wiping his brow and putting his hands on his hips as he straightened. "Nope. I can make it. We'll stop when you say so."

Riza nodded, knowing it was for the best. They needed to find the Colonel as soon as possible, and if the young alchemist was ever called to war… well, he would need to start building survival skills now.

Scanning the horizon one last time, she pointed to an oddly shape rock and said, "That's where we're going. We need to find the easiest trail there, look for anything suspicious, and then mark the place so we can find it quickly if we need to." The boys nodded and she continued. "Also, don't forget we have to meet our back-up tonight."

They nodded once again, and Riza started leading them down a long trail into the valley below. Once or twice Edward's mechanical fingers malfunctioned because of the heat, and he lost his grip on the rocks, but he always managed to regain control before something bad happened. Because Alphonse was so bulky, he had a harder time than either of the smaller beings, but he didn't complain and did the best he could.

"So," Edward grunted, sliding down a ways before grabbing the cliffside again. "Why is this land so dead? I thought it was supposed to be full of life up here."

Riza kept her emotionless stare at the rocks ahead, trying to find the right words to tell Edward what had caused the damage without lighting that oh-so-easily-explosive fuse the teen had inside him.

"It was caused by the war. Most of the Ishvalans fled northward around the borders edge, and the Furhur personally ordered us to block them with a wall of fire."

Both boys stared at her, and she tried to avoid that all-too-familiar gaze of 'how could you?' Edward's voice got very low, and he jumped down so he was a little closer to her.

"Who powered that fire?"

Riza didn't miss a beat. "The colonel."

Riza and Edward held each other's gaze for a moment, but Edward was not angry like Riza had expected. He just seemed… sad.

"I understand."

After that, no one said anything and they arrived at the bottom of the valley in silence. Even then, the only words spoken were, "Where to now?"

"That way." Riza pointed in response to Edward's question, and they continued along the trail.

_Roy, if only you could've seen the look in his eyes. There are some people who don't blame you for that war. And one of them is right under your nose._

* * *

><p>Roy paced his cell, rolling ideas over and over in his head. Desperately trying to come up with and idea. A plan. A vague inkling of what to do next. Just… Just <em>anything <em>that would help him escape with Ignorance and Spite. No matter how hard he tried, he kept drawing blanks, and he was really starting to lose it. Sure, the kids were great company, but they spoke of things the doctors were doing that he didn't understand, and Ignorance could be a real pain at times. Not that he considered even for a moment leaving them behind, it was just how he assumed most parents felt. Some days, you needed to get away for a bit.

"Let go of me! Let go, dangit! What the—OOF!"

Roy ran to the doorway and looked out, still unable to set foot on the electrocuted ground. Down the hall, he saw Hale and another young man coming towards him, and the stranger did not seem happy at all.

Then, for a brief moment, he saw the newcomer's face, and what he saw made his heart stop beating in his chest—from excitement or fear, he didn't know. Maybe both.

"Havoc!"  
>"Colonel Mustang?" Havoc stopped his struggles for a moment to stare in confusion. "What are you doing here?"<p>

Hale laughed, shoving Havoc further down the hall and into Mustang's cell, pressing the button that closed the door. "Well, that's awful sweet. You two know each other."

Havoc opened his mouth to say something, but Roy pulled him back and got between the two, a fierce hatred in his eyes. "Yeah."

Hale and Roy stared at each other for a long time, neither one speaking or even breathing. They just glowered, eyes narrowed into slits, teeth grinding together, hands balled into fists. There was nothing but hatred between them. An almost tangible animosity.

Finally, Hale sneered and walked away, waving over his shoulder. "Have fun."

"Mustang, who _was _that guy?"

Roy sighed, turning to Havoc and pointing to the ground where Spite lay in a fitful slumber. "We might as well sit down." Roy eased himself back against the wall and pulled Spite onto his lap, resting a hand in the boy's hair as he tried to think of where to start. "Well… tell me how you got here first. Maybe I can build on it."

Havoc scratched his head. "Uh, well… I got sent here because you disappeared a few days ago and I was the only one who was somewhat related to odd cases in this area. Hughes and I went separate ways on the train station yesterday, and I arrived late last night. I saw a little boy running with a bag of groceries, and I thought I'd help him out—it seemed pretty big, and he was really small, you know? Anyways, I followed him into the alley, but it was like he had vanished and that weirdo guy—"

"Hale."

Havoc nodded. "Right, Hale. He was blocking the entrance. I don't remember much after that. I just woke up as he was dragging me down the hall."

Roy chewed on that and scratched his chin for a moment, looking down at the floor in thought. After a few seconds, he raised his gaze and said, "Well, if I start at my kidnapping, I don't think it'll make much sense. Let's start with who these people are. Pierce is my father and Hale is my elder step-brother, and this is where they perform illegal science experiments without the military knowing it. This is Spite—he's a homunculus derived from Envy—and Ignorance should be around here somewhere."

Havoc shook his head. "Geeze… What exactly are they trying to do?"

Roy sighed heavily, pulling Spite against his chest as the boy let out a few moans, obviously disturbed by something in his sleep. "I don't really know. They used to make Chimeras, then Chimeras with people, and now I think they're making me… a vampire."

Havoc's jaw dropped, and his eyes widened. "You're kidding, right?"  
>Roy shrugged his shoulders, jostling Spite to wake him up. "I can't tell yet. They've given me blood multiple times, and I've stopped throwing it up. Who knows what happens next…"<p>

"Is it… human blood?" Havoc asked cautiously.

"How am I supposed to know?" Roy snapped as Spite came to.

"Sorry."

Roy shook his head. "It's fine." Then he smiled. "Good morning, Spite. You seemed to be a little uncomfortable. Are you alright?"

Spite shook his head, burying his face in Roy's chest, big tears streaming down his cheeks. "I had a bad dream!"

"Oh… well…" Roy patted his back gently and glanced up at Havoc, who he hoped had more experience with children. Havoc just grinned at him like he knew what to do, but wasn't going to tell him.

"It was scary!" Spite sobbed, latching his arms around Roy's neck and crying louder.

"Shh, shh…" Roy gently held him, rubbing his back and cradling his small form. "They'll hear you, and then you'll get in trouble. You just tell me what happened, okay?"  
>"I was… I was in the dark… and I was running and… there was this big gate in front of me and I o-opened it and I saw Havoc-san inside!"<p>

Roy nodded, still massaging the shaking body and giving Havoc a look that said, 'I'll explain later.'

"And he was all scary with red eyes and long claws and sh—sharp teeth! And he was hurtin' people, and then he came after me and I was… I was running away and… and… it was _awful_!"

Spite started to cry even louder than before, and Roy pulled him up so he was pressed tightly against his chest, stroking the child's hair and whispering words of comfort in his ears. Havoc stared in confusion and moved away from the two. Roy shook his head.

"It's not you. Spite knew your older brother."

Havoc stopped cold and slowly pointed to Spite, mouth agape.

Roy nodded, still comforting the boy to the best of his abilities. "He was once an experiment here."

Havoc was lost in a brief moment of shock, and then he turned to the door, throwing himself at it and pounding his fist onto the hard metal. "Hey! Get over here, slim! I gotta talk to you, son of a—"

Roy stood up and grabbed Havoc, pulling him back while still trying to hold onto Spite. "Havoc, it won't do any good!"

"They _killed _him, Mustang! I have to do something, I can't just sit here!"

"Stop it, Havoc, you're making it worse. Spite just found out recently that Jack is… no longer with us."

"No longer with us? You make it sound like an accident!"

"Havoc, be—

"He was killed, Mustang! Killed by these psychos and—"

"Hav—"

"Murdered in cold blood, and all you can say is—"

"HAVOC, BE QUIET!"

Roy heard his voice echoing down the hall, but in the small cell, there was nothing but silence. Even Spite had stopped crying at the thunderous command, and the three remained in still nothingness until Roy spoke again.

"That is an order, Lieutenant."

There was yet another bout of quiet, and then Havoc glared and sat in the corner of the cell, arms crossed over his chest. Spite looked up at Roy with sad, glistening wet eyes and whispered softly, a hint of fear in his voice.

"Mustang-san… I'm sorry…"

Roy shook his head, sitting down next to Havoc and pulling the fellow solider close despite his protests. He kept one arm around each companion and kept his eyes on the door, just in case he saw Ignorance. Spite sniffled occasionally, but for the most part, the three just sat, not knowing what to say.

Roy refused to be angry with Havoc, even if he had raised his voice to get the younger man's attention. He was suffering. Death was painful, even if it was a part of life, and Roy wouldn't punish him for having human emotions. But he also refused to make Spite suffer any more than he already had, and Havoc should have been old enough to watch what he said around little ears.

It wasn't important anyways. They needed to focus on survival, not comfort, and they needed to get out before Roy started behaving like the late Jack Havoc. He knew the chances of that were slim, though. Hale had not brought him blood yet, and Roy's stomach was beginning to ache.

* * *

><p>Riza wiped her brow, looking down at the Elric's as they slaved away trying to search for clues around the base of the mount while she climbed ahead. She hadn't found anything notable save a fox corpse, but out here in the wild, it wasn't too surprising to find dead animals. Something to remember for future reference, but not surprising.<p>

"Find anything yet?" Ed called up, cracking his back and rolling his shoulders, giving his tired muscles a quick break.

She shook her head. "Nothing. How about you?"  
>Ed and Al both shook their heads, and Riza nodded, glancing out over the horizon at the setting sun.<p>

"Ten more minutes, then we're going to head back to the village to get some food and sleep."

"Alright!" was the reply.

Riza turned away from the edge of the cliff and started back-tracking through the trails she had already covered, hoping a different viewpoint would help her to see something she could've missed before. She walked up and down, stopped and turned in place, ducked under things, got on her tiptoes to see over things, and then repeated the process, but still nothing came up.

Finally, she returned to the base of the mountain. Ten minutes had passed, and they weren't going to find anything once the sun went down. She stopped at the bottom and glanced over her shoulder before turning to go. Then she did a double take.

"What…?"

There was a something blue in the trees, and it looked like…

Riza ran over and knelt on the ground, reaching out and taking hold of a small piece of blue fabric caught on a thorny bush. She stood up and examined it, but there was no message as there had been in the glove. Still, it was something. Something that said the Colonel had been through here.

She quickly got to work marking the area, spray painting, chalking, and taping. She stepped back and looked over her work, nodding with a small sense of pride as she turned to leave. When she got to the bottom, the boys were still working diligently, and she smiled at their efforts. Most children their age would have been watching the clock and stopped as soon as they were allowed, but it seemed all those two could focus on was getting the job done.

"Look what I found." Riza held up the fabric, and Ed and Al ran over right away. Ed took the piece in his automail fingers and looked closely at it.

"No doubt that's the Colonel's." He handed it back. "Is there a message?"

"Yes and no," Riza said, starting back for the village. "There's no message in the fabric, so we don't have any clues as to where he is. But beecause there's no message, we can assume he was unconscious, which means he either sustained a lot of injuries or was drugged. That doesn't give us insight as to location, but it does tell us he needs our help more than we thought, and the drugs point to Hale and Pierce."

Ed nodded as they walked, a contemplative expression on his face. "Maybe we're looking for the wrong thing."

Riza gave him an odd look. "What do you mean?"

"You said these guys were into Chimeras, right?" Riza nodded, and Ed continued. "Then maybe we should stop looking for the Colonel, and look for other things that would lead us to them. Missing pets, mixed animals, dead animals, stories of weird noises that could only come from a crossbreed, and stuff like that."

Riza stopped, and the Elric's stopped behind her. She slowly turned back to the mountain, and the boys followed her gaze.

"What?" Al looked from the mountain to the Lieutenant.

"I know I said we would go home, but I need to check something."

Riza took off towards the mount, her mind racing as she pulled her flashlight to compensate the vanishing sun. Sending it along the path she looked for landmarks that could tell her where she was. She spied a familiar rock and turned directly to the left, shining her light before her. She took a few steps and knelt down.

The dead fox.

She heard their footsteps behind her and motioned for them to come closer. "I saw this earlier, and I assumed the snout was decayed. But I think…" Riza reached down without a qualm and moved the head, the broken neck allowing the skull to flop over and give them a good view of the face.

The cat face.

"A Chimera!" Al exclaimed, and Ed just stared a morbid fascination.

Riza nodded and stood up, spraying the area around the creature so they could find it in the morning.

"Definitely a Chimera. Let's get back to the village. We need to report this to Hughes."

The brothers nodded, and Riza followed them down the mountainside, a sick feeling growing in her stomach. The thought of Roy crossed with an animal was just… disgusting.

_Roy… Whatever you do… don't end up like…_

* * *

><p>Roy gently laid Spite down and covered him with his shirt. He returned to Havoc's side and put a hand on his shoulder, ignoring the glare he received. He knew Havoc was already angry at Roy for his careless behavior when Jack had first gone missing, and now he probably felt worse.<p>

Roy was not necessarily a cold man, but he also wasn't a lovey-dovey pushover with an endless vault of sympathy. He had lived through the Ishvalan War of Extermination, he had struggled through the ranks, he had seen Fullmetal lying on a medical bed missing his arm and leg do to a tragic mistake, and so many other things. He was hardened by life, and he hadn't really taken the time to comfort Jean or visit him in his grief.

"Havoc…" he started, rubbing the back of his neck as words failed to come to mind. "I know you're upset with me and with the situation in general. I'm not going to say I understand, because I don't, but I know death is hard because I've been there myself. I know vengeance is tempting, because I've been there myself. But…" Roy stopped, trying to find a gentle way to put his next sentence. "But you need to think about the little ones, too. I'm not saying you're not allowed to hurt for their sake, but try to watch what you say, alright?"

Havoc nodded slightly, and then his eyes traveled up to Roy's face. "Hey. They did the same thing to you that they did to Jack, didn't they?"

Roy nodded, the pain in his stomach once again flaring—a mix between a cramp and extreme hunger.

"Are you going to be like… that?"

Roy shook his head. "Not if I can help it. I'm going to fight it, and once I get out of here—and I _will _get out of here—I'll try and reverse the effect. I have to become Furher, you know."

Havoc smiled weakly. "All female officers…"

"Will be required to wear—tiny miniskirts!"

The two soldiers laughed and then sighed, leaning back against the wall. Havoc held out his hand, and Roy took it, holding it up between them and nodding.

"We can do this."

Havoc nodded. "They're going down."


	6. Chapter 6

**A\N: OMG I AM SOOOO SORRY FOR THE WAIT ON THIS! Ugh... I'm just not as into FMA as I used to be... However, my cousin is really getting into it and she's been rekindling my passion for this show. So hopefully these updates will start to come faster. Thank you all for your patience, and I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

**_Mentions:_awesomenaruto, iNatix, Skyethestarlitangel, bezawesome, Toushirou-chan, Noxy the Proxy, and CC-R200! Thank you all SOO much!  
><strong>

**Just so y'all know, I have a page on facebook where I post day to day updates on how stories are coming and which ones are updated and how soon the next update should be-things like that. There's also a collection of fanart and some fun quote boards and such to look at. So please, check it out!  
><strong>

**Here: www . facebook increak96  
><strong>

* * *

><p>Havoc's eyes fluttered open, soft gasps and pants pulling him from his sleep. He slowly sat up, rubbing his eyes and turning to look around the room.<br>"Mustang…?" He peered into the darkness, getting up and moving towards him. "Mustang, are you okay?"

Mustang curled up a little tighter, gritting his teeth and shaking his head, moaning in pain. "St-stomach… stomach hurts…" He lurched forward, making a strangled sound like he was dry heaving. "Spite… is Spite okay? C…can you… check on him?"

Havoc frowned but did as he was told, looking around the small room and finding the boy nowhere in sight. He bit his lip, debating whether or not he should tell Roy the truth. If he knew Spite was missing, he would worry and make himself even more sick, but if he didn't tell him…

"He's not here."

"I figured…" Roy coughed, bringing his knees up closer to his chest. "Th-that means Hale'll be bringing… blood… augh!"

Havoc knelt down, slipping his hand under Roy's ratty shirt and rubbing his stomach. "It's alright, sir. I'll fight him off for ya'!" He smiled, trying to keep the mood cheerful, but inside he was panicking, and Roy wasn't helping at all.

"… Havoc."

"Yes, sir?"

Roy looked up at him with a defeated expression. "I want it."

Havoc blinked. "What?"

"I want… blood." Roy choked out the word, groaning in pain. "I don't… just need it—I want it!"

Havoc's eyes widened, but he tried not to let his fear and surprise show. "Th… that's okay, Mustang. It's alright, there's nothing wrong with that."

"Don't patronize me!" Roy gasped, a garbled scream ripping from his throat. "…Hurts… hurts…"

"Aww… poor little Roy boy."

Havoc jumped, glaring viciously at the figure in the doorway. "You're Hale, right?"

The raven-haired man smirked. "That I am."

"So… you killed my brother… you hurt those boys… and now you're trying to kill the colonel."

Hale laughed. "Well, the first two were correct, but that third one… not so much. We have no intentions of letting Roy die. Drive him to madness? Maybe. But kill him?" Hale shook his head, shoulders quivering with his laughter. "No, no. That'd be pointless."

Havoc's hands remained on Roy's midsection, and he watched the creature in the door carefully.

_He killed Jack… but if I attack him, how can I help Mustang? And the kids… Mustang needs blood but… can I really trust what Hale will give him? Of course not, but… _

"What do you have with you?"

Hale smirked, walking over and crouching down. "Listen to me, little boy: I need you both alive. Stop thinking about this like it's a bad movie. This is a logical process we're undergoing. Why would I torment you needlessly? I'll keep you in check, and I'll use you for what you were meant to be used, but outside of that… you have no reason to be afraid of me."

"I ain't afraid of you!" Havoc exploded without thinking, calming only when Roy screamed again in his arms, tears of pain streaming down his cheeks. "Whatever. Just… just make him feel better."

_We're both helpless… I hate it. I hate it so much…_

* * *

><p>It hurt. Everything hurt. It was so painful… the excruciating, burning agony that pulsating through every inch of his body with every pounding heartbeat. Nerves burning, head throbbing, senses askew, strength sapped, muscles aching, and body shattered. It hurt.<p>

Someone… someone was holding him. Rubbing his stomach.

Someone else was gripping his hair, pushing something into his mouth.

Liquid splashed down his throat, cooling the torn flesh inside and flooding him with relief. The pain lingered, but it was overwhelmed by the cool rush of… whatever was going down his throat.

Gentle fingers brushed his hair out of his eyes, and he sighed heavily, coughing up a little of the thing that was healing him. He quickly licked his lips, reclaiming the wonderful substance as his own.

_Where am I? What was I doing? I can't remember…_

He couldn't remember anything, really. He just wanted relief from the pain he was in. Pain, pain, pain… it was receding, taking its sweet old time in doing so, and he wanted it to be done with already.

"He's gone. Are you okay?"

Gone? Who was gone? What did they take with them? Not… not the good stuff, right? Right!?

Onyx eyes snapped open, staring up at the blonde who was holding him, his gaze lustful and hungry.  
>"M-m…more… I want… where is it?" he gasped out, chest heaving as he panted, riddling his midsection with stabbing pain.<p>

"That's… that's all he brought." The blonde man paused, eyes filled with something he couldn't quite place. "You… you really need that stuff, huh? You really want it?"

"Yes…"

The blonde offered his hand. "Here, sir. Can you bite down hard enough?"

He opened his mouth, grabbing the hand and moving in for the… sir? He blinked a few times, closing his mouth and looking at the face again, scrutinizing the being before him with narrowed eyes.

"H…Havoc?"

Havoc smiled lightly. "Yes, sir. It's me."

Roy paled, sitting straight up and grasping his middle. "I lost myself, didn't I?" He cursed loudly, slamming his fist into the wall.

Havoc gave him a light smile, rubbing his shoulder and shaking him a bit. "You did your best. You're still alive, right? You're still sane? You've bought us time. Time is all we need to escape."

Roy sighed heavily, rubbing his face with his hands and grunting. "You have too much faith in me, Havoc."

Havoc laughed. "No way! I'm right on the money."

Roy grinned tiredly, exhaustion taking on the form of dark circles under his eyes. "Thank you, Lieutenant Havoc. I think… we should try to get more sleep. Spite will come back to the cell when Hale releases him… which should be soon."

Havoc nodded and moved towards his corner. Then he stopped, looking over his shoulder at Roy, who was still in pain and curled up on the ground.

Slowly, he lowered himself onto the floor and lined his body up with Roy's.

_Might as well keep warm…_

He draped his arm over Roy's stomach, feeling it rumble beneath his hand.

_You better be okay, Mustang. If you die, I'll never forgive you._

* * *

><p>"Riza, wake up."<p>

The soft, almost echoing voice, came from the distant darkness. Riza slowly lifted her head, listening to the pops and cracks as she straightened her body, wincing at the soreness in her shoulders.

"Hmm… what is it, Al?"

Al was silent for a moment. "Um, well, I was just wondering why you slept in the chair last night."

Riza opened her eyes a little wider, looking around and seeing Al was right. She was sitting on the kitchen chair, still wearing her clothing from the day before. "Huh? Where's the backup?"

Al looked around and then shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know… no one came in last night, as far as I know. I wish I had known you were waiting for someone, I could have stayed up and let you sleep."

Riza shook her head, yawning as she stood up and cracked her back. "That's alright, Al. You need slee—" She stopped suddenly, realizing the words that danced on her lips were not only false, but also something Al didn't want to think about.

"It's alright. It makes me happy that you forgot. It makes me feel a little more human."

Riza smiled at the metal boy. "You are human, Al. You're just a human without a body."

"EH?! Why are you two making so much noise this early in the morning!" Ed's voice came from down the hall, and Riza rolled her eyes, walking over to the counter and turning on the coffee machine.

"It's after noon, brother."

Riza watched the black liquid dripping into the coffee pot, a scowl twisting her lips. "Why didn't they show last night?"

"Why didn't who show?" Ed walked into the kitchen, rubbing his eyes.

"The backup. Hughes said he was sending someone to help us, but he or she never showed." Riza grabbed and old mug and set it down on the countertop, tapping out a quiet rhythm as she attempted to jumpstart her brain and come up with a plan.

"Well… it was only going to be one person, anyways. We can continue on without them, and we should prepare for a fight. We're getting very close… I can tell." The boys nodded, and she continued, rolling the cup back and forth across the bar. "I'm going to call Hughes to see if the personnel was even deployed. We may have another kidnapping on our hands…"

"Um, what should we do?"

Riza grabbed the telephone, still struggling to shift her mind from park to drive. "You can… head into town. Ask around and see if you stumble across anymore oddities like we found yesterday."

The two nodded, and Ed ran back into his room to get his jacket and gloves. Al started for the front door, slowing to a stop as Riza dialed.

"Riza… do you think the Colonel is okay?"

Riza fought the urge to frown, and instead attempted a brave front, nodding to the boy in the doorway. "I'm sure he's fine, Al. He's very capable and very powerful. Plus, I'm sure there are other people with him… other victims. He's not alone."

Al didn't say anything for a moment, but then his head began to bob. "Okay… I hope we find him soon."

The boy walked out, and seconds later, Ed ran through, shouting his goodbyes over his shoulder.

"Y'ello?"

"Hughes, where is my backup?" Riza didn't give him a chance to talk about his family, even though she could hear the desire and excitement in his tone.

"Huh?" There was a pause and a shuffling of papers in the background and then his voice returned. "I sent Havoc out for you. His train left yesterday afternoon."

Riza's eyes widened slightly, waking up a bit. "He never arrived. Are you sure he was on that train?"

"Uh… hold on." There was more rustling, and then the phone was set down. Some footsteps and muttering, and then the phone was picked back up. "Yup, he was on there. He got off the train, too. At least, that's what the records say."  
>Riza pursed her lips, nodding slowly. "Alright… we'll have a look around town."<p>

"If you can't find him, get back to me. Apparently, the Havocs have some history with this guy…"

Riza nodded slowly, fingers curling around her chin. "You mean his older brother? The one who lost his mind?"

"That's the one. Jean never really got over that… and considering who we're up against and who's been involved thus far… well, just keep it in mind."

"Will do. I'll call you later, then. Thank you, Hughes."

"Anytime! Hey, wanna hear a story? Elysia did the cutest thing last—"

Riza hung up the phone and shook her head, sighing.

_So Havoc really did arrive last night… he just never got to this house. Which means he could easily be in town. It also means he could easily have become another victim… Time to ask around._

Riza grabbed a jacket and stepped out of the house, spying the Elrics in the distance speaking to a young couple out for a walk.

_They can manage themselves. I'll head down the other path and go through the lower parts of town to the train station… we can meet up later._

She turned away from them and started down the trail, millions of thoughts running through her mind, demanding her full attention. Missing Colonel, missing Havoc, Chimeras, illegal activity, paperwork building up back at the office while they were on this wild goose chase. All of it was starting to pile up and take a toll on her.

_That's alright… soon it will all be over and everything can go back to normal like it should be. _

She sighed, tilting her head back and letting the sun hit her face.

_Just like it should be…_

* * *

><p><strong>A\N: Please review! <strong>


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